A recent work by choreographer John Jasperse of New York is being presented at the Wexner Center for the Arts.

Barbara Zuck, For The Columbus Dispatch

A recent work by choreographer John Jasperse of New York is being presented at the Wexner Center for the Arts.

The 65-minute Canyon is performed by the five members of his troupe, Thin Man Dance Inc., in the performance space, a two-level black box “decorated” with crime-scene tape.

At times, the dancers do lie on the ground as if struck down, rolling over one another, unable to rise. At other times, they manage to get to their feet, only to stagger aimlessly.

Truly, the strongest aspect of Canyon is the dancing. The performers execute steps based on everyday movements — walking, climbing, rolling — but the movements are exaggerated, sometimes throwing the dancers off balance. They teeter on the edge.

Thin Man Dance is made up of Jasperse, Lindsay Clark, Kennis Hawkins, Burr Johnson and John Sorensen-Jolink. The women seem to be stronger dancers than the men.

The movement is deceptively simple. The performers work harder as the piece progresses. Although there are moments of repose and reflection, the tension builds and gestures grow more strenuous.

The work is accompanied by a recording of composer Hahn Rowe’s music, which helps define the sections of the dance. Overall, though, it is an attractive but forgettable score — a good match, sadly, for the choreography. Canyon, in the end, is shallow.

Canyon might be meant as a metaphor for the chasm in connectivity among people. We touch but don’t connect; we interact but don’t communicate.

We’ve seen it all before.

To close observers of the state of the art of dance, Canyon suggests a different empty space: the canyon in which contemporary movement today seems trapped.